__Hemaid Alghamdi______
Workshop / Tutorial Day and Time: __Wednesday 6:30-8:30pm__ Assignment No. Final Report
Assignment Topic: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ICT ENTERPRISES IN AUSTRALIA
I declare that this assignment is solely my own work, except where due acknowledgements are made. I acknowledge that the assessor of this assignment may provide a copy of this assignment to another member of the University, and/or to a plagiarism checking service whilst assessing this assignment. I have read and understood the University Policies in respect of Student Academic Honesty.
Signed: Hemaid Alghamdi Date: 14/11/2013
Abstract
According to Boone and Kurtz (2005, 11) Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) refer to a non-subsidiary, independent organizations that does not operate as a key player but meets industrial standards with respect to around 200 employees. In most countries around the world, SMEs play a vital role in the development of economy (Sharma, Garg and Sharma 2011, 58). In Australia, SMEs comprise the backbone of the economy because of their large numbers and the corresponding number of people they employ. Moreover, the Australian SMEs are the primary exporters of locally manufactured goods and also consume most of the commodities that the country imports from other countries (Yesseleva 2012, 87). However, Australian SMEs that operates in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Sector continue to experience many challenges that undermine their performances and growth. Practically, macro and micro economic conditions are the main factors that influence performances of the players in the ICT sector (Longenecker et al 2006, 112). Therefore, this research focuses on the challenges that SMEs face and provide proposals how the SMEs can overcome the problems and guarantee long term profitability and survivability (Warren and Hutchinson 2000, 87)....